Weigh in on the new voting machines here

Welcome to Primary Day.Today marks the first election in decades and decades that we’re not using the old lever machines. Use this thread to post your thoughts on the new optical scan voting machines being used exclusively across the Capital Region for the first time today.

If you have absolutely no idea what we’re talking about, you should probably click this link before you head to the polls.

Also feel free to list any voting problems that you personally experienced here (sorry, nothing you heard from a friend’s, friend’s, sister’s step-son). Please be as specific as possible, including the location, time and nature of the problem. If you’d be willing to be quoted in a story about your experiences with the new machines, shoot us an e-mail jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com.

But please note that any comments accusing specific individuals of misconduct will not be posted until we can independently vet them.

28 Responses

Problem at Veeder School in Colonie. Got there at 12:30pm during my lunch break. They did not have the code to enable the scanning machine. Three voters walked out the door while I was standing on line. Finally at 12:45pm they received the code and were able to activate the scanning machine. They also ran out of the privacy folders. Not organized at all… They seemed to be confused on procedures. I called the board of elections.

They had these @ polling sites last year and since poll workers couldn’t figure out how to put the lever machines together many voters were forced to use these. There are major issues:

#1 older people do not know how to use them and DO NOT get it-significant violation of their voting privacy when a poll worker has to show them how to vote hand over foot

#2 ballot storage is a joke and non-secure. Do you want your ballot in a paper envelope that isn’t sealed? I think not

#3 they lack serious privacy in voting-the person waiting in line behind you will know how you voted if they’re paying attn

#4 I’ve witnessed poll workers tell people how to vote and who to vote for when they’ve had trouble with the old lever machines (which is totally innappropriate). These new machines are so confusing to voters that it makes this kind of fraudulant activity all the more feasible in polling stations.

I live in Rensselaer county. I went in to vote this afternoon and it was very easy. The worker handed me the ballot and a marker, I marked, and then I scanned. Quick and easy. One potential problem I saw for November, my polling place had only one privacy booth (to fill out the ballot). If it gets busy there could be a long line and then another line waiting to scan the ballot at the one scanner. So we’ll have to see how that goes. I think its an OK system. People can see your ballot when you carry it to the scanner, but I guess I don’t really care.

New “high-tech” voting is the same as the scan-trons we used 12 years ago to take quizzes in high school (or any standardized test). I’m glad there’s a paper trail, but I’m wondering how much did we pay for this “new” technology?

Just watched the video again. The video said we would have privacy sleeves; I never saw one. The video said we would have to use a special marker. There were no special markers- just regular pens- at any of the little marking booths

I voted in Niskayuna, and it went well. I was glad I was the only person there, however, as they had to explain each step of the process to me (but this did not involve anyone seeing who I actually voted for. I managed to fill in the ovals by myself, lol!) The ballot was put in a larger folder and given to me. I went to one of the lecturns set up to allow me to fill in the ballot without others seeing it. There were four or five at my polling station. Then I put the ballot back in the folder and carried it to the scanning device. There was only one of these so I imagine it would be possible for things to get backed up on a big Election Day. It did just take a couple of seconds to scan it, but with a bunch of people trying it for the first time, there could be delays.

No problem this evening in Bethlehem, although the lines will be *much* longer in the general election.

The only thing that surprised me was that there was no way to keep your ballot truly private if you wanted. Holding it face down as you walk to the scanner is not going to be good enough. Absent an envelope or sleeves, how about a thick piece of cardboard? Kind of like the ‘cut card’ when playing poker.

Voted this afternoon in Middle Grove, Saratoga County…no problem and was given instruction and a “privacy sleeve” and entered he ballot into the scanner myself as instructed…no receipt – i heard that some machines give a receipt to the voter is that accurate? That would be time consuming….also how long do they have to keep the paper ballot?

It was very easy. Privacy sleeves were available but I did not use it.
Other states have been using these for many years. So, not new technology, but much better than what we had.
So glad NY finally got rid of the levers.

I voted after work. The most disturbing part was that the poll watcher shouted out to me “Democrat or Republican?” as I approached the table!!! So much for privacy. Dems were to the left and Repubs to the right, of course! There were no privacy screens or sleeves, only card tables set up about a foot apart that one could sit at, fill out the form with regular pens, and then find the scanner. It was easy but not very private. If somebody was truly nosy, they could ascertain how everyone votes.

Whoa! Plenty of issues with the new voting process.many polls opened 20-30 minutes late. Poll inspectors needed more time to set up. Privacy issues, too. Poll inspectors were standing net to voters as they entered their ballots into the voting machine. Also, voters were “sharing” the privacy tables with partners or friends. Also, when a ballot was not accepted in the machine, the voter returned it to the poll inspector and got a new one. Unfortunately, in many instances, the poll inspector has an opportunity to see how the voter voted. That has to be addressed! Also, the ballot is HELL to read! It is difficult to tell where the candidates for one office begins and another ends.

Had to use this and had no privacy. Sat at a table where anyone could have looked over my shoulder and seen who I voted for. The machine it self was easy to figure out as I have a scanner for my computer. Do not like the lack of privacy, the old machines were private and you knew no one was staring at you while you voted. I can foresee problems similar to the hanging chads they had in Florida. If you don’t fill it in properly your vote doesn’t count. You can think that you voted but didn’t because you didn’t fill it in the circle completely for each candidate. I give them an F.

I live in the Town of Schodack and although I pay extremely high taxes so a cop here – from a part time PD – could make 110,000 last year plus a town car (let’s not even mention the chief’s salary and town car that is supplied to someone who was fired from North Greenbush and is here somehow), nobody knew where I could go to vote ! I had to go to THREE different places before I was in the right place to vote! Ridiculous! My regular voting area had no idea where I was suppose to go ! – County website told me another place – the people there told me yet another – then I finally got to sit at a table to fill out a ballot ! Change is certainly better !!!!

Other than no “privacy sleeves”, this Albany Senior had no problem (and I was the first in my Ward to vote)- I also took a minute out of my life to watch the instructional video. Easier that looking all over the machine to find the right lever! Now this November, with a full slate of candidates, may be different….

I kept filling in the bubble below the name not above it. After 2 times I was told that I cannot try the thrid time.
I am a 35 year old tech savy and here is what I HATE about the new system.
1. It seems easier to cast multiple ballets than the old system
2. With the old system I can pull the little levels, review what I did, think about it, change my vote and then pull the big level. The new system it’s 2 tries and you are out.
3. My 2 uncast ballots were taken by the poll monitor, I think there should be a shredder where I can shread my uncast ballot.

@5 Rikki Signoracci, “high-tech”, Yep what’s so high-tech when of all states, Maine had similar system in place 20 years ago… that’s 2 decades! New York was waiting because companies were trying to find a way to fleece new yorkers. Guess this year was it.

No problem for me, all went smoothly. I was provided a folder in which to carry my ballot from the privacy carol to the scanner. There was a white line for the next person in cue at the scanner to stand behind. Easy enough to conceal your ballot as you feed it into the machine, if you’re concerned. I didn’t notice any security issues at my site with the completed paper ballots but if there were, they could easily be fixed, as could problems pointed out by other voters at their respective sites.

I was disappointed there is no voter verification of the scanned results. Presumably the machine will tell you if it thinks there is a problem scanning, but otherwise, assuming the results are actually what you wanted is an act of faith. But assuming the old machines tallied your intended vote was a similar act of faith. However, now if there is enough suspicion of the tally to trigger a recount the paper ballots are there, with little ambiguity that I can see (no hanging chad). If the machine bought it, the intent should be crystal clear to any human auditors.

How difficult would it be in the software to provide *optionally* the ability to display to the voter the results of the scan, and in the hardware some way of concealing the screen from others to provide for voter privacy? If this could be done, the system would be about as good as possible in terms of simplicity (any school child knows how to fill out a machine-scored test: I’m 57 and acquired this skill in about the third grade), privacy and security.

8% of the vote went to write-in candidates-more like people filled in the wrong bubble. I closed polls in the 10th last night and 9 voters chose write-in instead of a candidate for every office they voted for. The machines were supposed to catch those kind of mistakes but FAIL. The way they set up the actual form was confusing-there was a write-in space under every single candidate! I however do not blame the new machines for the polls opening late as they have previously struggled to open on time. Albany HS had a 2 hour delay last year on primary day and several voters walked out w/out casting ballots.

I thought the voting machines were great. I thought the design of the ballot itself, at lease in Albany County was horrible. Do you really think at least 1,500 votes across every single democratic primary race “Wrote In” their votes? Come on people.

No privacy. The person manning the scanner could easily read my vote choices. These new machones are illegal and simply facilitate stolen elections, as computers are too easy to hack into. The old machines worked, why fix them if they ain’t broke?

No privacy. They gave us the folders, but that made
no difference when I had to fill out the form
sitting at a table in the middle of the room with
people walking by and looking over my shoulder.
Plus the workers by the scanners tried to
convince me to take my ballot out of the folder.
The whole situation felt very intimidating, since
the poll workers tend to be very conservative and
I am quite the opposite.

Voting with the new system also took considerably longer than it did on the old lever machines. Coloring in a circle takes
an eternity compared with flipping a switch.

I ended up not voting. Nobody explained how to fill it out. I got rejected because I voted in each column. Then I had to get a new one. I messed that one up too. There was no privacy as they insisted on looking at my ballots and wanting them back to void them, which just made me even more upset. I got mad, threw the ballots on the table and left. This was the worst and humiliating voting experience I’ve had.

I think it is more confusing, time consuming, lends itself to more error, and a greater loss of privacy. It doesn’t seem like a step forward to me, but back.

I much prefer the levers–so much quicker, and you have a curtain. I was done and walked over to my mom, and she told me I wasn’t supposed to look at her choices, and I didn’t really mean to, it was just so easy to see what she was doing.

If they want to go high tech, why not a touch screen? Very easy for anyone to understand to touch the box of the name they want, see it light up, touch a DONE button, and that’s it.

Why do they want to use all these papers now? Not very green of us. Someone mentioned a paper trail. Why? Because the government doesn’t trust this technology? Then why are we using it?

We had sharpies for ours, BTW, so there doesn’t seem to be a standardized pen for these, at any rate. I imagine a touch screen could come with a special pen, like at the grocery store. But I wouldn’t want to accuse the government of being behind the grocery stores in their technology.

I am thankful to live in a country where I can vote for who represents me…however backward I feel the mechanism is getting.

Voted in Rotterdam and only had one problem. The poll worker at the scanner requested my folder before I fed my ballot into the scanner. I refused. Told her politely I’d give it up when I was finished with it. She was amenable.
The ballot was very easy to understand. Print was a little small but not drastically so. The pen worked fine and the scanning went without a hitch. I don’t know why people are bitching about the new system other than the possibility of hacking the computers.

Worked fine, took a while to fill out the bubbles but whatever. I thought the form was very straight-forward. There were privacy sleeves available, but my polling place wasn’t crowded so I didn’t bother (and I don’t care anyway). It was a little annoying though when someone’s kid kept walking up behind me to see what I was doing.

Don’t agree on the touch-screen idea, it’s not about the government not trusting the machines, it’s about the citizenry not trusting the government who sets up the machines.